“Wal-Mart after midnight makes ‘The Walking Dead’ look like ‘America’s Next Top Model.’ ” That’s a sampling of the kind of middle-American, not-too-risque humor Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy will be bringing Friday to DTE Energy Music Theatre. The two longtime collaborators and veterans of the hugely successful and long-running Blue Collar Comedy Tour are on the road this summer with an event they’ve dubbed JEFF & LARRY’S BACKYARD BBQ. Count on family-friendly games, dunk tanks and a full menu of barbecue and fixings on the concourse. Special guests for the evening are two vintage rock acts: the Marshall Tucker Band and Foghat. Foxworthy would perhaps sum the event up like this: You might be part of tonight’s target audience if you have fond memories of blasting “Slow Ride” on an 8-track player in a 1976 Trans Am.

It’s being billed as “a weekend of tastes, sights and sounds — and, oh yes, scents." The GARLIC & MUSIC FESTIVAL at Campus Martius is a three-day celebration of the pungent plant whose bulb is prized for use in everything from pasta sauce to cold remedies. Among the items on the menu from local restaurants and caterers are garlic corn, garlic shrimp, garlic paella and — for those who dare — garlic ice cream and deep-fried garlic pickles. Beer, spirits and Moscow mules will flow freely, and lawn games and a kids zone promise to keep revelers amused. Bands and musicians will provide nonstop entertainment on two stages. The lineup includes Ryan Dillaha & the Miracle Men, the One Love Reggae Band, Tosha Owens, the Whiskey Charmers, American English and the Chicago Blues All-Stars.

Ryan Dillaha and his band will perform at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Garlic & Music Festival at Campus Martius.(Photo: Marc Nader)

More than 150 offerings from Michigan and around the globe are the stars of this weekend’s WINE & CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL at Meadow Brook Amphitheatre. A $25 general admission ticket buys you eight wine or beer samples plus a commemorative wine glass. (Discounted $15 tickets are available through Sunday at Kroger stores.) An on-site retail store will be open all weekend where guests can purchase beers or wines by the bottle or case. Musicians will be performing throughout the event at the Meadow Brook gazebo, and numerous food trucks, including Impasto, the Nosh Pit and Shredderz, will be serving up everything from barbecue to hot dogs to Italian street food.

“THE REVOLUTIONISTS,” a play that views the French Revolution through the eyes of four bold women, opens Friday at Theatre Nova. Described as an irreverent girl-power comedy, the new work from Georgia-born playwright Lauren Gunderson is built around three characters firmly rooted in history: Marie Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI and the last queen of France; playwright and political activist Olympe de Gouges, a feminist and abolitionist; and Charlotte Corday, a political activist and assassin of revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat. A fourth character, Haitian revolutionary Marianne Angelle, is fictional. Gunderson’s play catches up with all four in 1793 during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror, a time when lots of heads were rolling. Diane Hill, Melissa Beckwith, K Edmonds and Sara Rose star in the Theatre Nova production.

The Detroit Boat Club is rolling back the decades as it prepares for Thursday night’s PIN-UPS AND PRIVATES, a 1940s-themed charity event to benefit Activate Detroit Potential, a nonprofit that provides support for at-risk female veterans in Detroit and help with acquiring marketable skills training. The Rhythm Society Orchestra, a 15-piece ensemble featuring crooner Paul King, will supply the swing-era sounds, and dance instructor and choreographer Paulette Brockington will offer Lindy hop dance lessons. The Satin Dolls, an Andrews Sisters-like trio, is also in the entertainment lineup. Guests are encouraged to show up sporting their best pin-up look, zoot suit or period-appropriate military attire. A ticket includes a strolling dinner, craft beer and ’40s-themed cocktails.

Pin-Ups and Privates will re-create the spirit of a 1940s USO dance.(Photo: Detroit Gatsby, Detroit Gatsby)

You can beat the late-August heat Friday at the sixth annual SUMMER BEER FEST in Royal Oak. More than 40 breweries from Michigan and around the world will be represented. Tickets are required for sampling brews and can be purchased at the event. A portion of proceeds will go to the Royal Oak Historical Society, which encourages historical study and research to preserve the city’s history.

Fall is around the corner, so Livonia is making the most of summer while it's still with us. On Friday, you can join the city and its parks department for SUMMER BASH at the Kirksey Recreation Center. The event will feature music from four bands with sounds ranging from hard rock to alternative pop. In the lineup: Novara, the Anders Orange, Michigan Left and If Walls Could Talk.

The legacy of Caden Bowles, an Indiana boy with a passion for cars who died three years ago while waiting for a heart donor, will be celebrated Sunday at C.S. MOTT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL in Ann Arbor. Children being treated there will get a chance to leave their hospital rooms and venture to the nearby parking facility's roof, where more than 50 rare and unique cars will be parked for them to explore. There will also be car-themed games and activities. Tickets for the public are limited and should be reserved in advance.

The HEIDELBERG PROJECT is the site of a free Saturday block party hosted by Detroit LIVE. The family-friendly event will include live music, art, vendors, food, movement classes and special activities for children. The party is one in a series of events marking the 30-year anniversary of the Heidelberg Project, one of Detroit’s art landmarks.

The Heidelberg Project, an installation on Detroit's east side, is one of the city's art landmarks.(Photo: Jessica J. Trevino, Detroit Free Press)

Revelers can start making their Halloween plans Saturday at the Motor City Haunt Club’s 12th annual HAUNTED GARAGE SALE. Horror enthusiasts can hook up with vendors offering everything necessary to put some fright into fall. Masks, costumes, collectibles and party props and decorations are just some of what you'll find for sale.